April 28, 2022
The last week of April is a special time for the culinary department at VITALIA Active Adult Community® – North Royalton North Royalton, OH. In honor of Earth Month, we will be celebrating and embracing the Farm to Table concept. While the terminology is often overused, the idea is a basic one that stems from the days when the food you ate came from the farm you lived on or nearby. Practices may have changed but utilizing the produce and livestock from local farms and growers has many benefits. For example, did you know most produce loses nutrients within 24 hours of harvesting? Have you ever noticed how fresh meat is moister and more flavorful?
Farm to Table also helps strengthen the local economy by providing jobs and keeping money in the hands of businesses run by our neighbors and friends. It helps to build relationships between the farmer or rancher and the customer. Both sides benefit greatly from sourcing local items. If an item becomes scarce, or pricing becomes high, this valued relationship can be instrumental in helping us to continue to provide the exceptional food our residents have come to expect from us with minimal interruption.
I’m planning on keeping the menu but procuring local ingredients. The locally sourced items I’ll be using include cucumber, spinach, leaf lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrots, strawberries, goat cheese, strip steaks, and chicken breast. These items will be sourced from the Free Leafy Greens https://www.freeleafygreens.com/, Oberlin Food Hub http://www.oberlinfoodhub.com/, Purple Skies Farm https://www.purpleskiesfarm.com/, Holthouse Farms https://www.holthousefarms.com/, McMasters Farm https://www.mcmasterfarmsllc.com/, and Diones Meats https://dionnesmeats.com/. It is my intent to use as many local ingredients as possible.
I lived and worked on a dairy farm in my late teens and have a true understanding of the impact sustainable farming has on our area. We have large farming communities just a few miles in several directions from North Royalton.
For us, buy local isn’t just a bumper sticker. It should be embraced and promoted as much as possible. Even if you couldn’t be here to enjoy it with us, I hope you can enjoy the content included here and feel inspired to visit some of these local vendors!
VITALIA® North Royalton in North Royalton, OH offers independent senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, 24-hour bistro, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Centrally located near Parma Hospital and Southwest General Hospital with convenient access to major shopping centers and attractions, including Ridgewood Golf Course, Southpark Mall, Sleepy Hallow Golf Course, Cleveland Metro Parks, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and Heavily Hills Farm.
